Microbubbles have been used in biomedical applications as ultrasound contrast agents, blood substitutes, agents for ultrasonic-induced lysis of stroke-causing thrombi (sonothrombolysis), and drug and gene delivery vehicles. Many of these applications require the microbubbles to be sufficiently stable so as to circulate in the blood for a long enough period of time to reach the intended target site. Furthermore, many microbubble preparations behave non-uniformly with respect to an insonating ultrasonic field. These preparations often contain a non-homogenous mixture of microbubbles with diameters ranging from 0.5 μm to 6.0 μm. Protocols that enable one to produce and tailor microbubbles to perform in a more defined and controlled manner, e.g. to lyse only in response to a specific ultrasound intensity and frequency, to withstand rapid acoustic-induced collapse when administered, and to be stored for protracted periods of time until their use are desired. Hence, there is a need for methods to manufacture microbubble preparations that are more homogenous with respect to size distribution, acoustic collapse threshold, resonant frequency, and other physical or acoustical properties.